Stockings are known as being manufactured starting from a tubular knit element having both ends opened, and one end, that is, the toe portion, being seamed at a later stage.
Also known is that, when the stockings are provided with shaped or reinforced heels, the seam line of the toe must take up a well defined position with respect to the heel, so as to allow the stocking to be properly put on. The same type of problem is also likely to occur whenever it is necessary to orient the tip of the garment with respect to a fixed reference thereof, such as the bodice of a pantyhose article.
To achieve the desired orientation of the article toe it is possible to operate, or move the stocking, manually or automatically.
As far as a manual procedure is concerned, though it is practicable, it is not compatible with current production requirements, especially when considering the time needed for the manual positioning of each article. This time is exceedingly longer than the time usually used for carrying out each seaming operation.
Known from the European patent No. 33039 is an apparatus for the automatic sewing of the toe of hosiery articles provided with a heel. This apparatus comprises means for placing the toe portion of each stocking at a predetermined position with respect to the relevant heel. This is achieved by rotating the foot portion of the stocking previously fitted on a relevant fixed hosiery support by means of a rubber-coated roller having its axis parallel to that of the hose. This roller is placed laterally on, and adheringly to, the hose in order to engage the stocking and allow it to slidingly rotate about the longitudinal axis of the support until a photocell detects a suitable mark or thread inserted within the fabric of the same stocking. This causes the stocking to be in a predetermined position with respect to the heel.
However, this known apparatus exhibits some drawbacks. One of the drawbacks is the fact that the drive of the stocking, due to the action directly exerted by the roller over the stocking fabric, may cause an excessive and improper stretching of the stitches, owing to the very elasticity of the fabric. This is especially true when the latter is of high fineness and causes the risk of lowering the quality of the finished product. Moreover, it is necessary to accurately adjust the pressure exerted by the roller on the stocking. This pressure varies according to the fabric fineness, as well as to how accurately to stretch in advance tile stocking on the support. If the pressure is not accurately adjusted, the positioning takes more time than necessary.